page_title: 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
section_title: Generation 6 car
hierarchical_section_title: 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series / Changes / Generation 6 car
caption_attribution_description: Trevor Bayne's 2013 Ford Fusion on display at the Charlotte Convention Center during NASCAR Preview 2013.
context_page_description: The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.
  The 2013 season was the first season using the Generation 6 race car, the Car of Tomorrow's successor, and marked the return to the qualifying procedure that was used before the 2005 season. However, at the two road courses on the schedule drivers qualified in groups instead of single laps. In September 2012, NASCAR removed a ban introduced in the 2008 season on testing at tracks that were on any of the premier series' schedules, replacing it with a testing limit.
  Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturer's Champions, while Brad Keselowski was the reigning Drivers' Champion. However, because Keselowski failed to make the Chase, he was unable to defend his title. By the end of the season, Jimmie Johnson claimed his sixth Sprint Cup Championship.
context_section_description: In preparation for the 2013 season, NASCAR allowed the manufacturers participating in the series to develop a new car that resembles the production models. Areas of the car that were allowed to be changed were the area above the doors, hood and truck lid.
  Ford was the first to announce their 2013 car on January 24, 2012, with the Ford Fusion; however, the company modified the car in June 2012 by designing a new grille and hood lines. Afterward, Dodge revealed their 2013 Dodge Charger, while Chevrolet announced that the Chevrolet Impala would no longer race in the series, instead the Chevrolet SS, which is expected to go into production in 2014, would. On May 22, 2012, Toyota announced that the Toyota Camry would continue to be their race model for the 2013 season.
  On July 30, 2012, NASCAR approved each of the manufacturer's design after the results of the final aerodynamic test, allowing them to begin making parts for the cars. The new cars are expected to premiere in the 2013 Daytona Speedweeks. Dodge announced on August 7, 2012, that it would not participate in the series during the 2013 season after recording 55 victories in the previous eleven years.
  To benefit the safety of the drivers, NASCAR improved the roll cage that surrounds the driver after a large amount testing in the NASCAR Research and Development Center. The improvement features a new forward roof bar and center roof support bar that intersects in the center of the front section of the roll cage. NASCAR later released cosmetic changes to the 2013 car, including the driver's last name on the windshield, the sponsor's logo placed on the roof, the team logo being moved from the headlights to the front bumper, and the reduction in size of contingency decals and car numbers due to the smaller size of the car. During the Autoweek's Racing Conference in Detroit, Michigan, NASCAR announced that the manufacturer logos will be placed on either side of the drivers' name to increase manufacturer identity.
  Starting with the Subway Fresh Fit 500, the roof camera was removed for approximately two-thirds of points races to lessen turbulent air impact, though tracks like Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International retained the cameras.
caption: The sixth-generation NASCAR Ford Fusion, introduced for the 2013 season.
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